bacon day in and day out. all of our baconfrankly, including the president's while he golfs. that does it for us tonight. we will see you again tomorrow. "first look" is up next. this morning, all eyes on north korea. nbc news has learned the u.s. is prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike should north korea follow through with a nuclear test. plus the u.s. drops the mother of all bombs on an isis tunnel complex in afghanistan. while it's meant to send a clear message to isis, is it meant to send a message to pyongyang as well? president trump takes aim at planned parenthood. he signed a new law allowing states to deny certain federal funding to the organization. good morning, everyone. it is friday. we're glad for that, april 14th. i'm alex witt alongside ayman

mohyeldin. looking ahead to a potential nuclear test in north korea and a graf warning from the united states, as multiple senior intelligence officials tell nbc news, america is prepared to launch a pre-emptive strike if they believe north korean leader kim jong-un will launch a nuclear weapons test. tactics could include cyber warfare and special operations on the ground. u.s. officials say a test could come as early as this weekend. a large-scale military parade is expected for saturday. the 105th anniversary of kim il-sung's birth, the nation's most important holiday. yesterday president trump tweeted i have great confidence china will properly deal with north korea. if they're unable to do so, the u.s. with its allies will, usa. this morning in pyongyang's north korea's vice foreign minister blamed president trump's aggressive words for a vicious cycle of tensions telling the associated press in an interview, we will go to war if they choose.

adding, we have a powerful nuclear deter rent in our hands and we will certainly not keep our arms crossed in the face of a u.pre-emptive strike. leon panetta said the united states must grapple with the fact that north korea is a nuclear nation. >> if we were to try to attack them, they would virtually wipe out seoul and 20 million people who live in seoul. if it became a nuclear war, which is likely, millions of lives would be lost. we have used containment and det deterence. it was containment and deterence that resulted in soviet union self-destructing. >> u.s. intelligence oe feshls tell nbc news the military has positioned two destroyers

capable of shooting tomahawk missiles in the region. one 300 miles from the nuclear test site and heavy bombers are in position in nearby guam. they have diverted "uss carl vinson" strike group to the area. vice president pence is about to embark on a ten-day trip in the region scheduled to arrive in korea on easter sunday. the vice president is going to show president trump's iron-clad commitment to support our allies and rally the international community to take the necessary steps to grow long-term faes in the region. joining from us seoul, nbc news foreign correspondent janet mackey. you look at all the signal, the u.s. is deploying forward power with the strike group, the mother of all bomb tests in afghanistan, some say is a message to north korea. you have the vice president in the region. how is all of this being

perceived in asia? are the drum beats of war getting uder, so to speak? >> reporter: the intrigue tay was in pyongyang in this interview with the vice foreign minister he did with the associated press, using some rhetoric we are can customed to hearing from the regime, saying the u.s. is to blame for the heightened tension in the region with dispatching the aircraft carrier strike tlup grooup and the vice minister going on to say it's the aggressiveness of the u.s. that is to blame here, that the u.s. needs to stand down and north korea is prepared to go to war to war in any mode that's desired by the united states. there has been speculation mounting for weeks now that kim jong-un has been preparing for a sixth nuclear test and satellite imagery from commercial satellites as recent as april 12th shows that there is increased activity around the north portal and the appearance of equipment and personnel.

here in south korea, they say they have seen this crisis many times before. they are hopeful that the role of china will be influential in getting this resolved and will eventually lead it to talks instead of confrontations. >> thank you. a region on edge, thank you very much. half a world away, perhaps a message to north korea as well. officials in afghanistan say as many as 36 suspected isis fighters were killed after u.s. forces dropped its most powerful nonnuclear bomb in the eastern part of that country yesterday. the use of the weapon nicknamed the mother of all bombs comes as president trump weighs the u.s.'s next steps. nbc news foreign correspondent richard engel has more. >> repter: the u.s military pulled out the big guns against isis, the largest non-nuclear

weapon the united states has ever used. only use before, this 2003 test. the massive ordinance air blast is better known by its nickname, the mother of all bombs. so big it's stored in the cargo hold and dropped out of the back of a plane. a u.s. aircraft dropped one of these monster bombs on an isis tunnel complex in eastern afghanistan. president trump suggested he didn't personally authorize the strike, left that to his commanders. >> we have given them total authorization. this was another very, very successful mission. >> reporter: the toll of the bomb both physical and psychological. >> the shock value of this weapon is simply unbelievable. it feels like an earthquake 15 miles away. it will collapse underground subterranean caverns with the isis fighters in them. >> reporter: but the 15-year war in afghanistan, the longest in u.s. history, has proven having the mightiest weapons doesn't guarantee victory. the u.s. still has more than

8,000 troops in afghanistan but extremist groups, including isis, remain strong. just this weekend, an american soldier was killed there. prrtd has repeatedly promised to get tough on isis. >> i'm going to bomb the [ bleep ] out of them. >> reporter: now the commander in chief is translating that tough talk into action, dropping one of the biggest conventional bombs the military could find. >> our thanks to nbc news' richard engel. with american officials say they're ready for pre-emptive strike, president trump was asked whether the bombing was a warning to kim jong-un. >> is this a message to north korea? >> i don't know if it sends a message. doesn't make any difference if it does or not. north korea is a problem. the problem will be taken care of. i will say this, i think china has really been working very hard. >> russia's foreign minister says officials in moscow and washington have a shared understanding that the uted states should not repeat the u.s. air strike on syria.

sergey lavrov made those comments yesterday. that meeting came one day after secretary of state rex tillerson sat down with lavrov and russian president vladimir putin. and bashar al assad commented for the first time on last week's deadly chemical weapons attack. in the interview with the afp recorded on government cameras, assad not only denied being behind the attack but made the accusation that the u.s. was, in fact, responsible. meanwhile, u.s. military officials say a u.s.-led coalition air strike against forces in syria mistakenly killed 18 anti-assad fighters they he say are friendly allies of the united states. the friendly fire incident happened in the northern part of the country on tuesday. a day after president trump reversed his stance on the importance of nato, u.s. troops are joining a multinational nato force in poland to strengthen its position in russia. more than 900 u.s. troops joined with british and romanian soldiers are being deployed

across baltic region, the first time troops have been stationed so close. president trump called the move an historic moment for the country after lobbying for a greater nato presence in the region since russia annexation of crimea. with capitol hill in recess, plenty of americans have been eager to give their members of congress a piece of their mind. some lawmakers have drawn heavy criticism for not holding town halls. in arizona republican senator jeff lake hosted a crowd that political reporters estimated to be about 70% to to 80% left-leaning or democrats. in fact, he took questions for 2 1/2 hours, most of them pointed about changing the rules of the senate and with deep concerns about health care policy and the crowdften broke out into jeers. >> neil gorsuch was the first

supreme court justice ever to be filibustered. and now he appears that he'll be the last one ever to be filibustered. >> if neil gorsuch of the first to be filibustered, what happened to garland's vote? >> i think merrick garland was a great man and a good judge. but what happened in the senate last year, you may not have liked it, but it was not without precedent. in fact -- >> it's a great crowd. i'm sure they have genuine concerns because we hear them at the office when people call in. people are very concerned, for one, about health care and what we do with the aca. if you're in arizona, you know, we only have one insurer left, basically, for most of the counties. people are fearful about what happens to their health care.

>> then there's this moment in oklahoma when congressman mullins sought to explain his congressional pay. >> one, you said you pay for me to do this. bull crap. i do this for myself. i paid my own taxes. this is a service. no one here pays me to go. i do it as an honor. >> so, that salary -- >> i'm just saying -- this is a service for me, not a career. i thank god this is not how i make my living. >> i'll pay you $1,000. >> i and every year i pay it back. here's the deal on this one, guys, i'm gone 42 weeks out of the year and i do my best to serve you guys. there's also some facts you either want to hear or you don't. >> his staffer tells he tulsa world" the congressman is referencing the federal taxes he and his business have paid to the government over the years. prior to his being in office. like all business owners, congressman pays his taxes which

contribute to congressional salaries. still ahead, lawyers for the man dragged off united airlines flight say he may need surgery and his family is detailing the injuries. remembering one of football's most popular executives that helped shape what the nfl is today. those stories and a check on weather when we come back. ♪when you've got...♪

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welcome back, everyone. president trump has given states the okay to defund planned parenthood after overturning one of president obama's final executive orders protecting the family planning provider. in a private ceremony trump signed legislation allowing state and local governments to withhold tit 10 funding from planned parenthood and groups that broadway abortions. the measure narrowly passed the senate last month requiring a tiebreaking vote from vice president mike pence.

trump previously said he would preserve federal funding for planned parenthood if the group stopped providing abortion services, a deal the organization says it will never accept. planned parenthood receives about $500 million annually in federal funding that goes towards women's health services. the group claims 3% of its services are abortion-related, but that number has been questioned. for the first time we are hearing about the extent of the injuries suffered by that united airlines passenger who was dragged from his seat on sunday. the video has sparked national outrage and a pr crisis for the airline. now dr. david dao's attorneys told us their intention to file a lawsuit. >> reporter: good morning. dr. dao's attorneys say they plan to take legal action against both united airlines as well as the city as we get a very compelling description of dr. dao's injuries. >> oh my god. >> reporter: dr. david dao dragged from that united flight on sunday is now out of the hospital. >> my dad is healing right now. >> reporter: but his daughter

says his injuries are severe. >> we were horrified. and shocked. and sickened to learn what had happened to him and to see what had happened to him. >> reporter: his attorneys today said dr. dao suffered a concussion, broken nose, sinus injuries that require reconstructive surgery and lost two teeth in the incident. >> i have to go home. >> reporter: and he says he has no memory of running back on board the plane bloodied and distraught after being dragged off. dao's attorneys say they will sue both united and the city. >> he's a 69-year-old man. is that really the way we want to treat the aged? >> reporter: united released a new statement reiterating its apology saying this horrible situation has provided a harsh learning experience from which we will take immediate concrete action. pledging to re-examine how it handles oversold flights and incentives it offers passengers to give up their seats. saying it will no longer ask law enforcement to remove passengers

from planes unless it's a matter of safety and security. the airport commissioner conceded, those security guards employed by the city have been told in january to stop wearing jackets that say "police" but they continued wearing them anyway. >> i want to express our extreme regret for action of our officers. >> reporter: attorneys for dr. dao say sunday's incident reflects a bigger problem at nation's airlines where they say customer service isn't what it used to be. >> for a long time, airlines, united in particular, have bullied us. >> reporter: one other note. this was a regional flight operated for united airlines by republic airways. now united airlines pilots union released a statement saying they are infuriated by what happened and they know no united crews were on the plane and they blame airport security for gross excessive force. alex, back to you. >> tom costello, what a story. >> you can see the blame game beginning between united airlines and the city of

chicago, about who was in the right in the way they did that. let's get a check now on your weather with nbc meteorologist bonnie schneider. how's it looking like out there? >> we're definitely looking at the drought continuing across florida. 44% moderate drought so most of the state dealing with that. that's one of the reasons we have so many fires burning statewide. fortunately, the weekend conditions today going forward are not going to help matters. we have winds from the northeast keeping things very dry. we're looking at the threat for rip currents on the atlantic coast. for severe weather today, strong storms rolled through kansas city. right now it looks like they're to the north of the city. we saw that into oklahoma. this is the trouble spot for today where we have 4 million people at risk for afternoon strong storms that could contain damaging winds as well as lightning. still 10 to 20 degrees ave average, mainly concentrated in the central plains and mid-south for today. that's pushing east as we head toward the easter holiday. for saturday, 83 in nashville.

71 in washington, d.c. by the time we get to sunday, look at the numbers, shooting up to 82 in new york city. 85 in birmingham. warm conditions for this easter. alex, ayman? >> i'm not going to lie. there's a part of me that likes to see those temperatures. i know it's not good for us or the environment but i'm a little excited after the winter we've had. bonnie schneider, thank you very much for that. still ahead, remembering an nfl legend, a quarterback accused of memorabilia fraud and the quest for the stanley cup continues. >> it was out here on the plaza yesterday. we got a picture of it. >> sports is next. zero alcoho. it delivers a whole mouth clean with a less intense taste. so it has the bad breath germ-killing power of this... [rock music] with the lighter feel... of this. [classical music] for a whole mouth clean with a less intense taste... ahhh. try listerine® zero alcohol™.

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experience amazing. welcome back. time for sports. a sad day in the nfl. mourning the loss of steelers' chairman dan rooney. rooney, whose father bought the team back in 1933, one year after his birth, has been involved with the steelers his entire life and has overseen six super bowl championships with the franchise. mon among his contributions and shaping the nfl as it is today is the rooney rule, which requires teams to interview minority candidates for high-level positions. tributes are pouring in, including a heartfelt instagram post from steelers' brown, calling him one of 9 most humble human beings i've represented. my 84 on my uniform wl represent the 84 years you spent

on earth. he's president obama weighed in on dan rooney's life. in other nfl headlines eli manning is being accused of defrauding memorabilia collectors. they stem from court documents filed tuesdayly collectors who are pressing the giants in a civil racketeering suit, specifically an e-mail sent from manning to an equipment manager asking for, quote, helmets that can pass as game-used. a spokesperson who works for the law firm that represents the giants said the e-mail is taken out of context and called the suit a misguided attempt to defame manning's character and leverage a big payday. turning to the quest for lord stanley's cup and another set of nhl playoff first round series openers. let's start in the nation's capital, washington erased a 2-0 first period deficit against toronto. forced overtime and eventually took game one after tom wilson's goal about five minutes into the extra period. the caps beat the maple leafs 3-2. to chicago and the blackhawks get blanked by the predators who scored in the

first period and hung on for a 1-0 win. in anaheim, a pair of power-play goals were key for the ducks against flames scoring in the first and anaheim beating calgary 3-2. to major league baseball and on the field last night in miami, the mets' -- >> cespidis. >> another two home runs against the marlins after launching three against the phillies on tuesday. this game went on way past bedtime for most with even billy the marlin ready for a nap appearing in his pajamas in the top of the 14th inning. but it would be another two until weary fans could call it a night. >> travis drives one to deep left field. back goes ozuno. it's out of here. >> leading off the 16th inning with a go ahead homer.

winning 9-8. >> i don't think anyone stayed up to watch that. still ahead, cia director mike pompeo has harsh words for wikileaks but his tone has not always been so critical. the u.s. military is on high alert as tensions mount over north korea. we'll get a live report from seoul up next. look closely. hidden in every swing, every chip, and every putt, is data that can make the difference between winning and losing. the microsoft cloud helps the pga tour turn countless points of data into insights that transform their business and will enhance the game for players and fans. the microsoft cloud turns information into insight.

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welcome back. i'm alex witt along with ayman mohyeldin.

president trump has signed legislation that allows states to block federal money to abortion providers, his campaign promise to defund planned parenthood. and the trump administration has announced several changes to obamacare intended to keep the system going while still pursuing its plan to repeal and replace. the changes include shortening the open enrollment period for 2018 coverage do 4 days. that's about half as long as before. according to the ap, what some insurance companies really want is a guarantee that the trump administration will continue paying them subsidies to offset making insurance more affordable for low income customers. the president says he's not made up his mind yet on that. about 25 activists in new york have been arrested for staging a protest inside trump tower objecting to extreme vetting immigration policies. demonstrators with the activist group rise and resist gathered inside trump tower lobby to protest but were arrested after refusing to leave. tensions are running high on

the korean peninsula this morning as u.s. officialscy a poshl nuclear test from north korea, america is ready to act. nbc news senior investigative and legal correspondent cynthia mcfadden has this report. >> reporter: multiple senior intelligence officials tell nbc news, the u.s. military is on high alert as tensions mount between the united states and north korea over what u.s. officials see as a possible imminent underground nuclear test. those intelligence officials teld nbc news that the u.s. has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting tomahawk cruise missiles in the region some 300 miles from the north korea nuclear test site. u.s. bombers are also positioned in guam to undertake strikes in the korean peninsula should it be necessary. earlier this week the pentagon announced the "uss carl vinson" aircraft carrier strike group is also being diverted to the area. multiple sources tell nbc news

that if u.s. intelligence detects that a nuclear test is imminent, the white house is considering for the first time in history a pre-emptive strike to prevent it. this strike could include missiles and bombs, cyber and special operations on the ground. >> two things are coming together this weekend. one is the distinct possibility of a sixth north korean nuclear weapons detonation. and the other is a great deal of firepower headed right at the korean peninsula. >> reporter: why now? this weekend marks the 105th anniversary of the birth of north korea's founder, kim il-sung. >> north korea in the past has used these major national holidays to celebrate the strength of the regime and to reinforce the national narrative of their independence, so it's not at all inconceivable they might try to do something like that. >> reporter: north korea warned of a merciless retaliatory

strike should the u.s. take any action. the trump administration is hoping the chinese will use their considerable diplomatic and trade leverage to dissuade kim jong-un and his government from head with its nuclear program. a senior intelligence official tells nbc news, since president trump met with the chinese president in florida, he's talked to him two additional times about north korea. in the wake of this, the chinese sent one of their senior nuclear specialists to north korea for talks. a white house official told nbc news, no military action will take place until south korea signs off. a sentiment he can koed by south korea's top diplomat. >> vice president mike pence is headed for south korea this weekend for a long planned visit. joining us from seoul, nbc news foreign correspondent. look, tensions have not been higher in recent memory but now we have north korea's vice foreign minister speaking out this morning. what's he saying?

>> reporter: well, he is blaming the u.s. for heightened tension in the region with the "uss carl vinson" strike group heading toward the korean peninsula as well as threats from president trump that the u.s. could launch a pre-emptive strike if it is deemed necessary. the vice minister, the vice foreign minister, said in an interview in pyongyang, not in a statement through the regime's state news agency, that president trump had aggressive tweets that were causing trouble and that north korea would not sit by with its arms crossed if there was a pre-emptive strike. i think the key takeaways from this is that the comments are coming on a diplomatic level, coming through the foreign ministry. while, there might be rhetoric that is common to the regime that they are taking diplomatic channels, could be a sign they are trying to send a message to the united states. >> very can quickly, how much of this is dominating the news

there? >> reporter: south korea is used to these sort of crises. they happen in cycles. as recently as a few years ago. the real crisis back in 1993-94 when the peninsula was also at the brink, eventually led to talks. there is the assumption that this will take the same avenue. the other key in this is the role of china. we've not seen the chinese leadership stepping up the way -- now the way they have before. so, that is being seen as significant and could be the deal breaker. >> live from seoul, thanks, janis. officials in afghanistan say as many as 36 suspected isis fighters were killed after u.s. forces dropped its most powerful non-nuclear bomb there yesterday. in fact, pentagon officials say that the gbu-43 bomb, nicknamed the mother of all bombs, was used on tunnels and caves used by the terror group in the eastern part of afghanistan. white house officials did not answer questions yesterday on what exactly led to this strike, deferring any questions to the defense department.

the only known prior use of the bomb was a 2003 test of it. the weapon also does not require presidential authorization. but during an event at the white house yesterday, predent trump did not answer directly whether or not he had actually authorized the use of this specific bomb in this strike. >> everybody knows exactly what happens, so -- and what i do is authorize my military. we have the greatest military in the world and they've done a job, as usual. so, we have given them total authorization. and that's what they're doing. and, frankly, that's why they've been so successful lately. if you look at what's happened over the last eight weeks and compare that -- really to what's happened over the last eight years, you'll see there's a tremendous difference, tremendous difference. >> the decision to drop the bomb comes one day after president trump announced he's sending national security adviser h.r. mcmaster to afghanistan to assess whether more u.s. forces are needed to turn around the war in that country, which is now in its 16th year. speaking with msnbc's chris jansing yesterday, retired u.s.

army major bop scales broke down the working of the weapon that u.s. forces dropped on isis fighters. >> this is a modern version of the vietnam-era daisy cutter, it's huge. 11 ton of explosive. it's not dropped from a bomber. it's actually dropped from t the -- from the rear gate of a cargo plane. a parachute and guided to the target by gps. >> so it's accurate? >> it's precision accurate. the purpose is not fragmentation, not shrapnel. it's to build up an overpressure, or blast, if you will. the purpose is to collapse buildings, tear up rail junctions, collapse tunnels through the blast. it doesn't kill through shrapnel. so, it makes it unique. >> major general scales added that the likely goal of this operation was a test to see if the bomb could be used on what he describes as more lucrative targets. in his first public address

since becoming director pompeo leveled harsh criticism against wikileaks and julian assange. he accused him of making common cause with dictators and railed against his organization. >> along as they me splash they care nothing about the lis they put at risk and damage they cause to national security. wikileaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service. it's time to call out wikileaks for what it really is. a nonstate hostile intelligence service. >> his view of wikileaks hasn't always been so critical. shortly after that, wikileaks showed a tweet. in that same speech pompeo also seemed to mock kellyanne conway's remarks last month where she suggested microwaves could be used for surveillance. >> these officers, like me, have

sworn an oelt to uphold the constitution. they signed secrecy agreements. they quietly go about their work and try not to get too worked up over the headlines, including the fanciful notion they spy on fellow citizens via microwave ovens. another incident of police violence caught on camera in georgia and what officials cause ex excessive use of force. an officer is shown kicking a man already on the ground. gabe gutierrez reports. >> reporter: an officer in georgia pulls a driver from his vehicle and drags him to the ground. seconds later a second officer runs up and kicks the suspect in the head. a bystander capturing the encan counter on his cell phone. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> all i can say is i wish this never happened to me. >> reporter: bloodied in his mug shot, the 21-year-old was booked on charges of marijuana possession and obstruction.

a police report says hollins' red acura did not have a license plate, refused to get out of the car and was tasered and handcuffed but he says the officer who kicked him went too far. >> at that point, that's it. there shod have been no other application of force. >> reporter: officer robert mcdonald has now been fired. he had been with the force three years. >> he told me that he's sorry that it occurred and the embarrassment to himself, to the agency and that it shouldn't have happened. >> hey, hey! >> reporter: it comes as police around the country face tighter scrutiny. just this week video surfaced of be an sf in sacramento slamming and beating a pedestrian stopped for jay walking. the police chief says he's sickened and a second angle he's seen, both officers involved in the traffic stop have been fired with a criminal investigation under way. >> sickening is the appropriate response. >> very disturbing in both those cases. >> yeah. still ahead, is that really

a maple leaf on the canadian flag? we'll have the new moves by our neighbors to the north to legalize marijuana. new questions for united arltz a airlines and the city of chicago as we learn the injuries on the man dragged off his flight sunday. knock out your sinus symptoms with vicks sinex.

the ultra-fine mist starts working instantly to deliver up to 12 hours of ahhhhh get fast relief with vicks sinex. welcome back, everyone. we're learning extent of injuries suffered bit united airlines passenger dragged off his flight on sunday. dr. david dao's attorney says his client suffered a concussion, a broken nose that will need reconstructive surgery and lost two front teeth, believe it or not. we're told he's now out of the hospital and his attorney says a lawsuit is come, likely against united airlines and the city of chicago for the way its officers handled the situation. >> i would say there is a

culture of disrespect, of rudeness, but what's unfortunately occurred here in dr. dao's case is rudeness, bullying customers, has gone the next step now to physical injury. >> and yesterday chicago lawmakers held a hearing grilling both the city and united airlines. >> how are the passengers informed of the repercussions of a refusal to deboard? >> i can speak to this specific instance. and this instance the customer was asked -- >> sir, is there a policy to inform the passengers of repercussions if they refuse to deboard? >> there is a one-to-one conversation that would happen with the customer. it's not a set policy. >> no, there is no policy.

>> there's no script for this, no. >> no script. is it written anywhere what the passenger is to be snoeld. >> it's written what they are entitled to be given as xhen compensation. >> but they are not told they could be dragged off the plane by law enforcement officers and have their teeth knocked out and nose broken and their head con cussed. >> no one would anticipate that to happen. >> another ongoing issue in the case, the officers who dragged dr. dao off the plane are actual security officers not police officers, as printed on their jackets, believe it or not. it's unclear if they had the authority to remove him from the plane. canada's on track to become the second country to legalize marijuana. prime minister justin trudeau has introduced legislation that would allow recreational use throughout the nation as soon as the summer of 2018. some u.s. officials have expressed concern about canada's shared border since marijuana

possession is still illegal under american law, aside from a handful of states that allow recreational use. canada's government set the legal age at 18 but will allow each province to determine if the age should be higher. nasa made a big announcement about the search for alien life. scientists revealed yesterday a small moon orbiting named enceladus had icy water under the crust. the only place in the universe where liquid water and heat exist with strong chemical reactions between them is right here on earth. scientists say a follow-up mission is planned, it will take decades to collect evidence of potential life. also this week, nasa released brelttaki breathtaking images of the united states lit up. nasa says it shows clear and composite views of human settlement across the planet. this is a picture of europe and africa. they were produced with data

collected throughout the year picking the clearest night views each month. this shows india from 2012 and 2016. now how much more illuminated the country is aft four years, perhaps signs it's making economic progress. nasa says it's on the verge of being able to produce high-definition views of earth at night and daily basis. >> come on. >> i admit, it's cool. >> nasa is incredibly cool. another cool person here, meteorologist bonnie schneider. what's the latest going out there? >> we've been watching florida for two reasons. first, we have the drought. the drought continues to affect almost half the state with the fires burning there. that is not good news. we also have a another factor coming into the weekend. northeasterly winds coming through. that will increase the risk for rip currents along the atlantic coast, keeping things dry and not favorable. we have light rain in the forecast. unfortunately, that's not bringing as much rain as we'd like to bring a difference for the weather in florida. let's take a closer look at those winds in daytona beach and

what we're expecting as we go through a good portion of the afternoon. some thunderstorms are rolling through oklahoma city and working their way towards kansas city. most are to the north of the city at this time, which is good news. we'll be watching for that going forward. here's a look at severe weather that's working its way through much of the nation's midsection into the central plains. 4 million people at risk going forward with rain into the afternoon. to let you know if you're feeling a little bit sneezing with watery eyes, tree pollen is high from the midwest to northwest. that's our forecast. >> i like the flowers. still ahead, its an elite boarding school that counts a former president and first daughter as alumni. >> now allegations of sexual abuse against students that we're told went unreported for decades. we'll have that and much more. when we have a cough or cold, we fight it with everything...

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an elite boarding school in connect cut choate rosemary hall has released a report, the 50 zsh page report at least 12 former faculty members have assaulted students, both male and female since 1963. it's ranged from intimate kissing to sexual intercourse. the schoolnnounced i october it had hired a law firm to conduct an independent investigation after reports of adult sexual misconduct with

students surfaced. former president john f. kennedy and president trump's daughter ivanka among the alumni. officials in washington and moscow have a shared understanding that the u.s. should not repeat last week's air strike on syria. joining us now from moscow, nbc news foreign correspondent lucy cavanaugh. mr. love rov seems to suggest there will be no more air strikes. the white house has made very clear if chemical weapons are used again, we could see more u.s. air strikes. >> reporter: absolutely. the white house and the state department. while there are no further targets planned by the u.s. after last week's missile strike, they're not ruling out the possibility of further action. i think it's quite clear that the name of the game for the moment for washington is to keep russia and its allies, iran and

syria, on their toes. to that end we saw russian foreign minister sergey lavrov hosting his counterparts in moscow, hosting their press conference as we speak. one of the things they're looking at is how those u.s. air strikes changed the calculus on the ground, both politically and militarily. there are iranian troops on the ground. russia still very much involved in this conflict. the name of the game for the kremlin has been for years, putin acts in unpredictable ways. washington is forced to scramble to react. in the short term it seems the tables have flipped. we saw the russian foreign ministry spokeswoman saying what is the u.s. policy in the middle east, in afghanistan, as rex tillerson was touching down. if unpredictability is the name of the game for washington now, it could backfire. we could see ruia, instead of pulling away from its long-time ally, pushing closer toward iran and syria. >> lucy kafanov, thank you for

that. let's switch gears and head to south america where frustration is boiling over amid two weeks of bloody protests. even during holy week five people have died in demonstrations. yesterday in the streets of poor neighborhoods government forces dispersed teargas. they are calling for the removal of judges, release of political prisoners and new elections. coming up next on "morning joe," we'll look back at an eventful week for the trump administration, from the swearing in of his supreme court pick, the press secretary's holocaust gaff and the white house infighting and dropping the mother of all bombs on isis in afghan. after all that, is the president up or down? >> among our guests is nbc's tom brokaw and "the washington post's" david ignatius. "morning joe" is just moments away.

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as a micro-biologist i ensure that dog chow leads with high quality ingredients. before we toss it over to "morning joe," we'll bring you a check of the stories in the day ahead. >> president trump juggles a full plate of foreign policy issues.

nbc's kristen welker has more from the white house. >> reporter: good morning to you. president trump is in mara lago for the easter weekend. this week offered the most detailed preview so far of what is known as the trump doctrine. remember, mr. trump campaigned as a hawkish pro military candidate, promising to vanquish isis. his foreign policy successes so far outweigh his domestic agenda which has been on the rock from health care. in an interview with afb president bashar al assad denied he's behind the chemical weapons attack that prompted u.s. military sykes. assad calling the assertion 100% fabrication and making a stunning accusation that the u.s. was actually behind the attacks. a new provocation as the president mulls his next move on the world stage. >> thanks to kristen welker for that report. also today, pope francis gets ready for the easter

holiday, leading the way at the crosswalk commemorating jesus' last day on earth. that's it for us. i'm alex witt alongside ayman mohyeldin. "morning joe" starts right now. >> what should the american people make of these shifts and are there any policy areas that are non-negotiable? >> respectfully you can look at what you're referring to as a shift in a lot of ways. if you look at what's happened, those entities or individuals in those cases are issues evolving towards the president's position. in some cases the issues evolve, that it's not just a clear and fast statement, that this is -- that the entity itself is moving towards his or the issue is evolving toward the position that he articulated. that can't be proven more true in the case of nato. >> good morning. it's friday, april